Interviews / 9/5/2025

Global projects, local roots

Mapei engineering team works with the Group’s subsidiaries all over the world on building projects for offices and manufacturing plants focusing on safeguarding the environment and people’s well-being

Interviewee

Enrico Garino

Corporate engineering and maintenance director

Mapei Group’s Engineering Team oversees the design and construction of new offices and plants worldwide, ensuring projects align with innovation, sustainability and employee well-being. Each initiative begins with in-depth feasibility studies and involves multidisciplinary teams working closely with local businesses and professionals. Sustainability is central and recent projects in Slovenia, Finland and Poland exemplify this approach.

How does Mapei set about building new offices and who is in the team in charge of these operations?

Mapei sees every new manufacturing plant and every new headquarters as an important investment from an industrial and strategic viewpoint. When we set about building a new workplace, we always begin by carrying out an in-depth study to assess the market, logistical opportunities, local demand, and possible synergies with other headquarters of the Group’s subsidiaries.

This phase is followed by technical, economic and environmental feasibility studies carried out by a multidisciplinary team of engineers and architects, sustainability experts, technical managers, project managers, lawyers and key players in the supply chain. This multidisciplinary team is coordinated by the Group's Operations Department.

To integrate local expertise and comply with local regulations and requirements, we also involve local businesses and professionals, setting up effective working partnerships. We are committed to guarantee quality, sustainability and compliance with the Group's values through a coordinated and well-organised work process.

Mapei's growth strategy is based on four fundamental pillars, one of which is sustainability. How is this factor reflected in both existing Mapei offices and new buildings?

Our offices mirror our corporate values: innovation, well-being, environmental responsibility, and high-quality work. That is why sustainability is at the very focus of workplace design and redevelopment. This commitment is embodied in the decision to use recyclable and long-lasting materials to reduce environmental impact and preserve natural resources, as well as limiting heat loss, improving thermal insulation and reducing consumption.

In addition, we work to integrate renewable energy sources, such as solar panels or geothermal systems, and also energy recovery solutions. The aim is also to ensure high standards of comfort and quality of life for our staff through clean air, comfortable heat/sound conditions, ergonomics, and facilities designed to last. We are also committed to reducing waste materials. This approach has been adopted very successfully in several recent projects.

Every project in the world starts with an analysis of the local context, involving local partners and professionals and ensuring quality, sustainability and consistency with the Group's values

Efficiency and sustainability are the guidelines behind the construction of the new Mapei headquarters in Škofljica near Ljubljana in Slovenia, which include offices, training facilities, and a warehouse. A similar approach is being adopted in Tuusula in Finland - where construction work of a new warehouse and new offices is currently in progress - and for the new Mapei offices being planned for Kutno in Poland.

Over the past few years, a Group-wide tree-planting project has also been launched that several subsidiaries around the world have joined in. More than 450 trees have now been planted at Mapei sites, with the aim of increasing this number significantly over the next few years.

Mapei believes sustainability is a way of bringing together environmental, social and functional issues. That is why our offices are designed to encourage cooperation, sharing, flexibility and productivity, providing dynamic, technologically advanced settings that are attentive to the needs of the people who work in them.

Various Mapei products were used to complete floors, stairs, profiles, walls and roofs in the new headquarters of Mapei d.o.o. in Slovenia.

Over the years, Mapei has expanded worldwide. What challenges do you face when building abroad?

Mapei has always invested in creating value in every country in which it operates, striving to gain a deeper understanding of the local market, its workings, regulations, culture and environmental features. This is an extraordinary opportunity that has brought with it miscellaneous challenges to be dealt with, such as the need to adapt to local standards/regulations, which can differ from country to country, in terms of safety, environmental sustainability and certification requirements. That is why all our projects worldwide are based on a prior analysis of the local context, drawing on the aid of partners and professionals in the area in question, so as to guarantee solutions in line with the specific needs and expectations of both the authorities and our clients.

At the same time, we are always focused on technological innovation, the constant search for high-performance, sustainable materials, and respect for the environment. This means that every new plant, every new project abroad, also turns into the opportunity to promote Mapei’s corporate vision.

Another important aspect is the management of cultural and operational diversity. To work in international settings, you need to listen, understand and dialogue with all the other players involved. This calls for flexibility, openness and teamwork, qualities that underpin every aspect of our organisational structure.

Building abroad means facing complex challenges, but taking on these challenges is what enables Mapei to consolidate its global operations, focus on responsible growth, and meet the demands of the territory and market as part of its commitment to helping local communities grow.

This article was written in partnership with Alfredo Benincasa, Paola Piretti and Alessia Rapuzzi, Mapei Group

Interviewee

Enrico Garino

Corporate engineering and maintenance director